Rev 5 (KJV) And I saw in the
right hand of him that sat on the throne a
book written within and on the backside,
sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a
strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,
Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose
the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven,
nor in earth, neither under the earth, was
able to open the book, neither to look
thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the
book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of
the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold,
the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of
David, hath prevailed to open the book, and
to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I
beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts, and in the midst of
the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been
slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent
forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and
took the book out of the right hand of him
that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had
taken the book, the four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,
having every one of them harps, and golden
vials full of odours, which are the prayers
of saints. 9 And they sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto
our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth. 11 And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne and the beasts and the elders:
and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And
every creature which is in heaven, and on
the earth, and under the earth, and such as
are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever
and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen.
And the four and twenty elders fell down and
worshipped him that liveth for ever and
ever. This chapter
is the introduction to the seven-sealed scroll
which is the title deed to the earth. It
is also the book of redemption for the all of
the elect of God. This whole chapter is
a picture of the search for a kinsman redeemer
for both the elect of God and the earth, which
is currently under the control of Satan as the
god of this earth. The four living
creatures and the 24 elders as the Firstfruits
of the Church are observing the action taking
place as Jesus Christ is in the process of
establishing his legal right to claim
possession of the earth. This chapter
describes the preparation for the ceremony of
opening the deed to the earth.1. And I saw in the right hand of him
that sat on the throne a book written within
and on the backside, sealed with seven
seals.a. God the
Father is seated on the throne holding the
title deed to the earth, which contains the
requirements for redemption. Even though
the authority of man to rule over the earth
has been forfeited by sin, the sovereignty of
God over the land has not been lost. The
sin of man does not vitiate (i.e., set aside)
any of the rights of God. Satan has
merely usurped the possession of the earth,
and God permits it for a time until the proper
Goel comes to pay the price and eject the
alien and his offspring. b. The
seven-sealed scroll is equivalent to a lien on
some mortgaged property or an inheritance that
has been forfeited by default. The
writing on the inside enumerates the criteria
for the redemption of the land, the widowhood
of Israel, or the bride of Christ. The
writing on the outside contains the names and
attestations of the witnesses to the
forfeiture of the possession. Thus, the
scroll is a book of redemption rather than a
book of revelation as some have stated.
c. There are
three criteria for redemption to take place.1. A near
kinsman must be found.2. The
kinsman must be willing to redeem.3. The
kinsman must be able to pay the purchase price
for redemtion to take place.d. Redemption
is primarily still future, and it remains a
hope for those who have received the
firstfruits of the Spirit. Regeneration
of the spirit of man is the promise for the
inheritance to be completely redeemed in the
future. 2. And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy
to open the book, and to loose the seals
thereof?a. This
verse shows the forfeited inheritance is now
open for redemption, and the primary question
is if there is a near kinsman who is willing
and able to redeem the purchased
possession. If there is a
kinsman-redeemer who is worthy to open the
scroll and redeem the earth, it is now time to
step forward.3. And no man in heaven, nor in
earth, neither under the earth, was able to
open the book, neither to look thereon.a. The
purpose of this verse is to demonstrate the
costliness of the purchased possession, and
how the sin sickness of man has touched every
human being upon the earth. There was
not one man found on the whole earth who was
able to pay the required purchase price for
redeeming the earth and the elect of God.b.
"...neither to look thereon" emphasizes that
not only is no man able to pay the awesome
price for sin, but no man even understands the
awesomeness of the price that had to be
paid. Only the trinity of God fully
comprehends the truly awesome price required
for redemption to take place.4. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open and to read the
book, neither to look thereon.a. John in
this verse demonstrates the profound sadness
that comes from the seriousness of the
depravity of mankind upon the earth. He
reveals the hopelessness of the situation, if
Jesus Christ had not appeared to pay the price
of sin.b. John is
not only sad over man's depravity, but he is
distraught over man's inability to even fully
comprehend what God has done for us through
his Son. c. The lost
estate of man was totally unrecoverable by
man, angels or spirits of the
underworld. The situation was hopeless
without God.5. And one of the elders saith unto
me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe
of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed
to open the book, and to loose the seven
seals thereof.a. One of the
Firstfruits of the Church consoles John and
tells him to stop his weeping as a kinsman
redeemer has not only been found, but he has
already "prevailed to open the book."
This states that the redeemer has already paid
the price, and He is now available to open the
scroll. The opening of the Scroll is the
public demonstration that the price has been
paid and the Goel is preparing to take over
the possession of the land.b. The
opening of the Scroll is the equivalent in
modern days of the closing on a house as the
legal requirement, before the new owners can
move in and occupy the new house. Jesus
has to complete the closing before He can move
in and boot out the occupants that govern the
earth.c. The legal
transaction takes place during the first half
of the tribulation, and Jesus makes his move
to possess the earth in the last half of the
tribulation period.d. Jesus is
the Lion of the Tribe of Juda, and He is the
root or foundation of the Davidic hopes.
This shows his legal right as heir to the
throne to reign and rule over Israel and the
earth. 6. And I beheld, and, lo, in the
midst of the throne and of the four beasts,
and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
as it had been slain, having seven horns and
seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of
God sent forth into all the earth.a. John looks
to the throne and sees the Lamb in the midst
of the living creatures who are in the midst
of the elders. The Lamb has already paid
the price of redemption by being slain.b. The seven
horns depicts the omnipotence of the
Lamb. Seven is the number of divine
perfection, and a horn is the symbol of
power. Seven horns intimates that
something more than sacrifice and intercession
has now become his business. He has
fulfilled his roles as Prophet and Priest, and
He is now to fulfill his role as the
omnipotent King.c.The seven
eyes represent divine intelligence or the
omniscience of Jesus Christ as God
himself. He is now to function as the
all-knowing Judge of mankind with the
redemption of his elect as the earth as his
primary focus.7. And he came and took the book out
of the right hand of him that sat upon the
throne.a. The Goel
has not only prevailed to pay the purchased
price, but He has now stepped forward to open
the Scroll as the final step in the legal
process of possessing the land. b. This is
the most awesome individual act recorded in
the apocalypse. This act includes all
that the suffering creation has been yearning
for since the fall of creation six thousand
years ago. This act sums up all that is
included in the remainder of the
apocalypse. This is the act that points
to the subjugation of the world, the judgment
of Babylon, the overthrow of Satan, the
elimination of death, the end of the curse,
the renewal of the earth, and the reign of
everlasting peace and blessedness. The
earth will be transformed into an unfading
paradise of God. This act pictures the
completion of the act of redemption.8. And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and four and twenty elders
fell down before the Lamb, having every one
of them harps, and golden vials full of
odours, which are the prayers of saints.a. The
opening of the book is the Church's joy and
glory. It is the reinstatement of that
which was lost by Adam. It is the
recovery of that which has long been deprived
by sin. Unless the book is opened, and
its seals broken, the people of God must
remain tearful, sorrowful and deprived of
their inheritance.b. The taking
of the book by Jesus results in profound
worship by the Firstfruits of the Church
(i.e., the four living creatures and the 24
elders). As the incense pertains to the
office of priest, the harp pertains to the
office of prophet (1 Sam 10:5; 1 Chron 25:3;
Ps 49:4). The harps are related to the
worship of Jehovah and the prophesying of the
coming kingdom. Harps are especially
related to redemption and the joyful song of
redemption. Singing the song of
redemption is peculiarly related to the
redeemed of the earth.c. The
Firstfruits of the Church are holding the
shallow bowls of incense (i.e., odours) which
represent their own prayers for the kingdom to
come. The prayers of the saints for the
kingdom of God to come to earth is now in the
initial stages of finally being answered.9. And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to
open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out
of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation;a. The
Firstfruits of the Church are singing the song
of redemption out of their overwhelming joy
that the Lamb is worthy and ready to open the
book of redemption that will complete the
redemption of the earth, the purchased
possession of God.b. The phrase
"...hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out
of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation;" is peculiar to the Church.
Here, the Firstfruits are singing this song
even though the main body of the Church is on
the earth and will not be be raptured until
Rev. 7:9 in the middle of the tribulation
period.10. And hast made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth.a. The
Firstfruits are rejoicing that they have been
made kings and priests, and they will reign on
the earth. It is important that no
mention of being made kings and reigning on
the earth is made at the Main Harvest Rapture
in Rev. 7:9-17. Many in the Main harvest will
not reign and rule with Christ.11. And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne
and the beasts and the elders: and the
number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands;a. This is a
quick inventory by John of all of those in
heaven. This demonstrates that the four
living creatures and the 24 elders are
representative numbers that are symbolical of
many thousands or even millions of
individuals.b. It is
significant that they can be numbered here,
but later at the Main Harvest Rapture, the
multitudes could not be numbered by any man
(Rev. 7:9). This indicates that those in
the Main Harvest Rapture will be many times
the number in the Firstfruits Rapture.c. The same
number is given in Daniel 7:10, and this ties
the saints of chapter 7 of Daniel in with the
Church, and not Israel as is thought by
many. 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing.a. Jesus is
pictured in the character of a Lamb that was
slain, because it was by his perfect obedience
unto death that qualified him to open the
seven-sealed scroll.b. It was his
coming as a Lamb that qualified him to later
come as a Lion to assert and enforce his
supremacy.c. There was
not a holy heart unmoved in heaven, nor a holy
tongue that did not sing the song of
redemption.13. And every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto
him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb for ever and ever.a. John hears
all of creation joining in on the song of
redemption. This is the consummation of
Romans 8:19-22. 14. And the four beasts said, Amen.
And the four and twenty elders fell down and
worshipped him that liveth for ever and
ever.a. The Four
Living Creatures say "Amen" to the song of
redemption, and the 24 elders fall down and
worship the resurrected redeemer who lives
forever and forever.